Display and delivery stand



May 28, 1963 G. A. JUST DISPLAY AND DELIVERY STAND Filed Aug. 22, 1960 IU J U l INVENTOR.

GEORGE A. JUST 14 TFQHNEY United States Patent 3,091,317 DISPLAY ANDDELIVERY STAND George A. Just, Bronxville, N.Y., assignor to The GrandUnion Company, East Paterson, N .J a corporation of Delaware Filed Aug.22, 1960, Ser. No. 51,083 2 Claims. (Cl. 19338) This invention relatesto display and delivery stands of the type wherein tracks are arrangedfor the movement of articles from the rear to the front of the stand.The invention is directed particularly to novel constructions whichpermit ready application and removal of the tracks for varying thedistance between the same whereby articles of different size or widthmay be handled by the equipment.

In US. Patent No. 2,669,361 there is shown and described a type of trackthat is particularly adopted for use in the practice of the presentinvention. However, the spacing means provided for holding such tracksin predetermined spaced relation are of a type which must be movedlengthwise of the track in placing them in position. Therefore, if thetracks are relatively long, it is diificult to apply the spacing meansand considerable time is required to move them into position.

In accordance with the present invention, a novel type of spacing meansfor the tracks is provided which permits application of the spacersdirectly to the tracks at any point throughout the length thereof.Moreover, the construction may be formed to permit more ready variationin the spacing of the tracks to receive articles of different size.

These advantages are preferably attained by providing the assembly withtracks which are transversely yieldable and cooperate with spacingmembers to which the tracks can be clipped with a spring action and invariously adjusted spaced relations.

Accordingly, the principal object of the present invention is to providea display and delivery device with a novel type of track #and spacingmeans which facilitate assembly and adjustment of the elements.

Another object of the invention is to provide a display and deliverydevice wherein the tracks along which articles are movable are held inpredetermined spaced relation by cooperating interengaging elementswhich are sprung into engagement in a manner which permits readyassembly and variation of the parts.

These and other objects and features of the present invention willappear from the following description thereof wherein reference is madeto the figures of the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing:

FIG. 1 is an end view of a typical display and delivery stand embodyingthe present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective showing a portion of the tracks and spacingmean-s employed in the construction of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is an end view of a portion of the assembly of FIG. 2.

In that form of the invention chosen for purposes of illustration inFIGS. 1, 2 and 3, the display and delivery stand embodies a framework 2on which horizontally extending supporting members 4 are mounted inposition to receive and hold inclined pairs of tracks 6 and 8 alongwhich articles 10 are movable by gravity from the rear to the front ofthe stand.

As shown in FIG. 2, the tracks 6 and 8 are formed of metal or othersuitable material and are provided with a relatively high outer rail 12and a lower inner rail 14 which are connected by the web 16. The outerside 18 of the outer rail 12 of each track extends downward below theweb 16 and is formed with a flange 20 which,

"ice

as shown, is preferably turned inwardly. In a similar way, the innerside 22 of the lower rail '14 of each track extends below the web 16 andis formed with a flange 24 which projects in the opposite direction, oras shown, in a direction toward the flange 20 of the outer rail.

The tracks thus formed are of the same general type as those shown inU.S. Patent No. 2,669,361 but may be formed with enlarged upper edges orbeads to receive plastic anti-friction coverings 26 formed of nylon,Tefion or other material which serve to permit the articles 10 to slidealong the tracks with a minimum of resistance.

The tracks 6 and 8 rest upon and are held in position on thehorizontally extending members 4- of the framework 2 of the display anddelivery stand. However, they are held in predetermined spaced relationby transversely extending spacing members 28 which may be located at anysuitable points throughout the length of the tracks. These spacingmembers are in the form of flat strips of metal or other material whichare provided with upwardly projecting inclined cleats or retaining meansadapted to be engaged by the oppositely turned flanges 2i) and 24 on thelower edges of the side portions 18 and 22 of the tracks. Thus, theoutwardly inclined cleats 36 on the spacing members 28 are arranged toreceive and hold the inwardly turned flanges 21 on the outer sideportions 18 of the tracks '6 and '8, whereas the inwardly inclinedcleats 32 are positioned and arranged to receive and hold the oppositelyturned flanges 24 on the inner side portions 22 of the tracks.

In the preferred construction shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, there are two ormore sets of the cleats '30 and 32 located adjacent each end of thespacing member 28 and these cleats are so spaced as to permit the tracks6 and 8 to engage either or any of the sets of cleats to hold the tracksin variously spaced and adjusted positions to re ceive and guidearticles of different widths.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, the assembly may in clude a centralsupporting strip 34 which is held in position by the centrally locatedand oppositely inclined pairs of cleats 36.

The construction of the tracks 6 and 8, and of the supporting strip 34when used, is such that they are relatively stilf and preferably areformed of thin resilient sheet metal so that the side portions of thetracks by which the flanges 20 and 24 are carried are yield-abletransversely with respect to the track so that they may be spread apartto slip over the oppositely inclined cleats 30 and 32. Thus, as shown indotted lines in FIG. 3, the track may be tilted sideways to insert theflange 24 on the inner side portion 22 of the track beneath the cleats32 after which the outer side portion 18 may be spread outwardsufiiciently to allow the flange 20 to pass downward and extend beneaththe cleat 30'. The track is formed so that its normal unstressed shapepresents the adjacent edges of flanges 2t) and 24- spaced apart adistance less than the distance between the opposite edges of the cleats3i and 32. Therefore, after bein g spread apart in applying the track,the flanges spring back into clamping engagement with the cleats so thatthe track is securely held in place. The side portions of the centralsupporting strip 34 may be similarly spread to engage the cleats 36 inthe central portion of the spacing member 28.

In the construction shown, the flanges of the track extend toward eachother and the cleats or retaining elements on the spacing member areinclined outwardly. However, these positions may be reversed to provideoutwardly extending flanges on the track and inwardly inclined cleats orretaining means on the spacing members if desired. In any event, theconstruction thus provided can be applied to the tracks at any desiredpoint throughout the length thereof so that even though the tracks areten, fifteen or twenty feet long, the spacing members can be applied andremoved almost instantly. Moreover, additional spacing members can beplaced in position between existing spacing members without displacingthose previously applied to the tracks. In this Way, a great deal oftime, labor and difiiculty is saved and the construction of the spacingmembers is simpler and less expensive than those heretofore required.

While one preferred embodiment of the invention has been shown in thedrawings and described above, the construction is capable of variousmodifications in the form and arrangement of the elements of theassembly. In view thereof, it should be understood that the particularconstruction chosen for disclosure in the application is intended to beillustrative only and is not intended to limit the scope of theinvention.

I claim:

1. In an article-supporting stand, a pair of tracks arranged in parallelrelation and in inclined positions on said stand, and track spacingmeans extending transversely of the tracks beneath the same anddetachably engageable therewith intermediate the ends of the tracks tohold the tracks in predetermined spaced relation, said track spacingmeans being in the form. of an elongated strip of material presenting anupwardly facing tracksupporting surface with track-holding elementsprojecting above said upwardly facing track-supporting surface of thestrip and having extremities facing in opposite direction-s and spacedfrom said upwardly facing track-supporting surface of the strip, each ofthe tracks presenting an upwandly facing articlesupporting surfaceextending lengthwise of the track, said tracks each having opposite sideportions extending downwardly below said article-supporting surface ofthe track with the lower edges of said side portions engaging theupwardly facing track-supporting surface of the strip, said tracks eachfurther having a downwardly facing opening located between the loweredges of said side portions of the track and presenting spacedoppositely projecting flanges bearing against the upper track-supportingsurface of the strip, said track spacing means and tracks beingrelatively movable in a direction at right angles to thetrack-supporting surface of the strip intermediate the ends of the trackinto positions wherein the flanges on the lower edges of the sideportions of said tracks are located adjacent the oppositely cfacingextremities of the track-holding elements, the flanges on the loweredges of the side portions of the tracks being movable over the upwardlyfacing tracksupporting surface of the strip into and out of positionswherein said flanges project beneath the extremities of thetrack-holding elements and serve to hold the tracks in saidpredetermined spaced relation.

2. In an article-supporting stand, a pair of tracks formed of materialof predetermined thickness and arranged in parallel relation and ininclined positions on said stand and track spacing means extendingtransversely of said track-s beneath the same and detachably engageablewith the tracks intermediate the ends thereof to hold the tracks inpredetermined spaced relation, said track spacing means being in theform of. an elongated strip of material presenting an upwardly facingtracksupporting surface with truck-holding elements integral therewithand struck up above said upwardly facing tracksupporting surface of thestrip, the extremities of said track-holding elements facing outwardlyin opposite directions toward the opposite ends of the strip, saidextremities of the track-holding elements being spaced from the upwardlyfacing tracksupporting surface of said strip a distance at least equalto said predetermined thickness of the material of which said tracks areformed, each of said tracks presenting opposite side portions having adownwardly facing opening therebetween, the side portions of the trackpresenting spaced inwardly and oppositely extending flanges at the loweredges thereof, said flanges resting upon the upwardly facingtrack-supporting surface of the track spacing means and projectingbeneath the outwardly extending extremities of said trackholdingelements.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSHinckley May 2, 1961

1. IN AN ARTICLE-SUPPORTING STAND, APAIR OF TRACKS ARRANGED IN PARALLELRELATION AND IN INCLINED POSITIONS ON SAID STAND, AND TRACK SPACINGMEANS EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY OF THE TRACKS BENEATH THE SAME ANDDETACHABLY ENGAGEABLE THEREWITH INTERMEDIATE THE ENDS OF THE TRACKS TOHOLD THE TRACKS IN PREDETERMINED SPACED RELATION, SAID TRACK SPACINGMEANS BEING IN THE FORM OF AN ELONGATED STRIP OF MATERIAL PRESENTING ANUPEARDLY FACING TRACKSUPPORTING SURFACE WITH TRACK-HOLDING ELEMENTSPROJECTING ABOVE SAID UPWARDLY FACING TRACK-SUPPORTING SURFACE OF THESTRIP AND HAVING EXTREMITIES FACING IN OPPOSITE DIRECTIONS AND SPACEDFROM SAID UPWARDLY FACING TRACK-SUPPORTING SURFACE OF THE STRIP, EACH OFTHE TRACKS PRESENTING AN UPWARDLY FACING ARTICLE-SUPPORTING SURFACEEXTENDING LENGTHWISE OF THE TRACK, SAID TRACKS EACH HAVING OPPOSITE SIDEPORTIONS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY BELOW SAID ARTICLE-SUPPORTING SURFACE OFTHE TRACK WITH THE LOWER EDGES OF SAID SIDE PORTIONS ENGAGING THEUPWARDLY FACING TRACK-SUPPORTING SURFACE OF THE STRIP, SAID TRACKS EACHFURTHER HAV-